‘Just Serena’: Williams’ upset win at US Open keeps the legend advancing in final days of her storied career

Williams, enjoying what could possibly be the final match of her profession, gained Wednesday night, downing Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4) 2-6 6-2 in New York.

Williams appeared higher than in earlier matches this yr, the place she was nonetheless making an attempt to shake the rust of a protracted layoff.

In Kontaveit, nevertheless, Williams confronted a a lot sterner take a look at and was undoubtedly the underdog on paper.

“After I misplaced the second set, I believed, ‘Oh, my goodness, I acquired to offer my greatest effort as a result of this could possibly be it,’” Williams instructed ESPN in an on-court, post-match interview.

A boisterous however behaved crowd cheered her each level.

She referred to the lengthy layoff in her interview Wednesday however mentioned, “I like a problem.”

“I haven’t got something to show. I haven’t got something to win. And I’ve completely nothing to lose,” she mentioned.

Williams will subsequent face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic within the third spherical. Tomljanovic, who was enjoying concurrently Williams on Wednesday, defeated Russian Evgeniya Rodina 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.

And Williams shouldn’t be enjoying simply singles; she’s going to open doubles play along with her sister Venus Williams on Thursday night time.

“I want extra matches,” she instructed ESPN. “I like rising to the problem. Yeah, I have not performed many matches, however I have been practising very well. In my previous couple of matches, it simply wasn’t coming collectively. I am like, ‘This is not me.’”

Issues have modified since she began enjoying on the Open, she mentioned.

“I’ve by no means favored the phrase retirement. It would not really feel like a contemporary phrase to me. I have been pondering of this as a transition, however I wish to be delicate about how I exploit that phrase, which suggests one thing very particular and necessary to a neighborhood of individuals,” Williams mentioned within the Vogue article revealed earlier this month.

“Possibly one of the best phrase to explain what I am as much as is evolution. I am right here to let you know that I am evolving away from tennis, towards different issues which are necessary to me,” she mentioned.

At her post-match information convention Monday, Williams was requested if that is positively her final match.

“Yeah, I have been fairly imprecise about it, proper?” she mentioned with a smile. “I’ll keep imprecise since you by no means know.”

The opening-round win over Kovinić was one of the best Williams had appeared since making her comeback from harm. She has managed to win only one match since returning to the circuit in June and was unable to get near the shape that helped her win her final grand slam title in 2017.

However Kontaveit, who had mentioned she was excited to play towards Williams, encountered a participant who confirmed no indicators of eager to hasten her retirement.

“I believe she performed very well,” mentioned the Estonian through the post-match information convention. “I imply, I believed I did not play a foul match in any respect.”

After the gamers cut up the primary two units, Williams stepped up her play for the decider, Kontaveit mentioned.

“She actually switched it on from there,” she mentioned. “There’s a number of factors right here and there the place I really feel like I might have carried out higher on my serve possibly. I imply, she was returning higher. She was enjoying the rallies higher. I felt like she did every little thing a little bit bit higher within the third set.”

The passionate pro-Williams crowd was additionally a problem, Kontveit added.

“I imply, I believe they weren’t rooting like towards me. They only wished Serena to win so unhealthy,” she mentioned. “So, I imply, I do not assume it is a private assault towards me or something. I imply, it is truthful. I imply, she deserves this, yeah.”

Williams burst on the scene by profitable her first US Open in 1999

One of many best tennis gamers ever, Williams has gained 23 grand slam singles titles and has gained the US Open six occasions, most just lately in 2014. Now 40 years previous, Williams’ profession will come full circle as her remaining match — in whichever spherical that seems to be — is to be performed on the web site of the primary of her grand slam singles wins, the 1999 US Open.

Then simply an adolescent, Williams burst onto the scene to stun world No. 1 Martina Hingis within the remaining and lay the primary stepping stone on her path to 20 years of dominance.

After Kontaveit gained her first Tour-level title in 2017 her true breakout yr got here in 2021 as she gained 4 WTA tournaments to rise by means of the rankings.

An aggressive participant with a assorted recreation and highly effective forehand, Kontaveit broke into the world’s prime 10 for the primary time in November 2021 and has been a mainstay since.

She sits at a career-high rating of No. 2 — the best rating in historical past for an Estonian — and at age 26 was trying to enhance on her greatest displaying at a grand slam, a quarterfinal look on the 2020 Australian Open.

Kontaveit appeared spectacular in her opening-round US Open win over Jaqueline Cristian of Romania, dropping simply three video games, and mentioned after her win that she was “rooting” for Williams in her first-round match.